I did a lot this year, some of which was productive; a lot of the other stuff was video games! So here’s a list of the best games I played in 2015. Reminder: this isn’t a list of best games to come out in 2015, the release date does not matter, what matters is that I played these games in 2015. Also clicking an underlined title will take you to a review of that game on this site! Now, Let’s get to the list!

 

10. Missing Translation

Missing Translation by Ludipe was a game I reviewed late last year on this site. It was a free game that caught my eye in the Steam store, so I though I’d give it a try. With much work still needed to be done on the game in my opinion, I was much more enjoyable than I expected. The game’s puzzles had me fixed to my computer screen for a short while, and with a bit more story and a more variety of puzzles this game would have easily been much higher on this list.

 

9. Super Mario Bros. 3

Way back in January of 2015 my brother Cameron and I decided we were going to play through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 in a weekend and record ourselves playing it to be uploaded to the internet. It was a great time and left us both mentally drained and, frankly, a little tired of the game, but I hold the game in no less regard now than I did before the play through. And for the recordings? (Because I know you want to see them) Unfortunately only a few of the episodes made it to my youtube channel, CoreyView. Maybe someday I’ll get to completing the series.

 

8. Steven Universe: Attack the Light

Watching cartoons is my other hobby and when a good TV show becomes a great video game, I get the best of both hobbies. Attack the Light is a nifty little RPG game for your phone that has you exploring different regions, fighting enemies, and leveling up Steven and the Crystal Gems. The app had me very entertained when I had some spare time. (Also you should watch the TV show. I can’t explain it well enough to do the show justice.)

 

7. Smash Bros Project M

With all the Smash hype going around (and some salt) I thought I’d try my hand at Project M, and to my surprise I enjoyed it very much. The game is more fast-paced than I’ve been used to lately and a lot less forgiving. So, while I prefer Smash 4 over PM, given it’s tight controls with and more decent pace, my brothers and I have endless fun playing this game trying to best each other.

 

6. Grow Home

Grow home by Ubisoft was a game that I found late into the year but it was such a nice game that I just had to put it at the number six spot on my list. Even with its simple style, the game was a beauty, I found myself stopping once in a while to just look around the floating islands, the star filled sky, and the vast ocean surrounding you. My only issue with this game was moving the character around: it was too loose for my taste. If it had tighter controls it may have held up a little better on this list.

 

5. Fez

Fez by Phil Fish, in my opinion, is a masterpiece, and I’ve said this before in one of my reviews. The only reason why Fez slotted at number 5 is because of my unfortunate experience with the game this year on Steam. Back in the summer of 2014 I played Fez on my PS4 and fell deeply in love with the game, but the title on Steam seems to have way to many glitches to play through smoothly. Given what I’ve seen, I highly suggest playing Fez on console (or until an update comes out for the Steam version).

 

4. Pikmin

This year I got an old Wii system back from my Grandparents and it was a real experience going through old Nintendo titles again. One of those titles was not Pikmin, though. I had to rebuy Pikmin after selling years ago (Good lesson I learned this past year: REPLAY VALUE IS IMPORTANT DON’T SELL OLD GAMES). I can’t explain it really, but Pikmin is just my kind of game. I don’t usually like when things are time based but this video game is different. There is a relaxed feeling when you play Pikmin. You know you are being timed but there not much of a rush given the 10 minute days. It’s an experience that comes with a mild and easy to handle stress that I personally love.

 

Bronze @ #3. Kirby’s Epic Yarn

Such a treasure is this game. One of the most laid-back games I played this year. And I love me a laid-back game. Along with just being cute Kirby’s Epic Yarn was fun to watch with its bright colored yarns and fabrics, along with its knitted design. I enjoyed playing this game so much that I played it to completion, gathering up any medal and sticker I could. I've really liked how Nintendo has been using different media to give games a different texture to them. I really look forward to see how Nintendo will continue to use different media in their video games, and what else they will come up with in the future.

 

#2 (SO CLOSE). Shovel Knight

The close second on this list has to be Shovel Knight by Yacht Club Games. This video game is a nice throw back to the old NES/DOS style, and one that doesn’t fall short of fantastic! I enjoyed this game a lot and would have loved to put it right at the #1 spot but it was just beat out by a game that really moved me. Shovel Knight has a great, engaging story and an amazingly unique combat system (I mean who else fights with a shovel?) Many hours were spent playing this game and the new DLC that came out! All of this easily puts Shovel Knight near the top of my list. 

 

#1 BEST OF ALL TIME LOVE IT SO MUCH #NORAGRETS. Undertale

I say it was a close call but really, without a doubt in my mind Undertale by Toby Fox takes the top spot of this list. Shovel Night was an amazing game but something about Undertale spoke to me on levels therapists could only ever dream about reaching. I went into this game clean, untainted by spoilers, and unsure of what I was going to think of it, but when I finished I was a new man. This game changed who I am (more or less). With it’s fantastic story, lovable characters, and endless resolutions, Undertale takes the #1 spot on, not only this Top-10-Played-Games-of-2015 list but Corey’s-Favorite-Games-Ever list. Bottom line is I loved this game enough to give it a great video review on this site and I only hope to see more from Toby Fox in the future.

 

Thanks for reading!